Fire station design to cost nearly $1.8M

Santa Monica firefighters responded to a structure fire on the Third Street Promenade last year. (Photo by Daniel Archuleta)

Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.

CITY HALL — The City Council is expected to spend almost $1.8 million to design Santa Monica’s newest fire station as part of the consent agenda proposed for Tuesday night.

City officials are putting forward Rob Wellington Quigley, a California-based company, for the $1,770,219 job, which involves design and pre-construction work for the facility. Once built, it will replace the existing 55-year-old fire station on Seventh Street.

The company was picked out of an initial pool of 27 applicants, which was then winnowed down to five and then three competitors in two subsequent elimination rounds.

Rob Wellington Quigley pulled ahead of the pack by impressing city officials with its cohesive team and demonstrated experience in designing a full-service fire station in an urban setting.

The new fire station will be located on the 1300 block of Seventh Street. The City Council approved a land swap with NMS Properties, a housing developer, to acquire the plot.

The fire station is the priciest item on the $2,567,742 consent agenda.

Basic maintenance

Oil changes and transmission upkeep are critical on any vehicle, which is why city staff recommends a $266,000 contract for oils, lubricants and other products for the Big Blue Buses and other Public Works machines.

City Hall received four bids for the contract, which requires the chosen company to provide specific kinds of oils and lubricants that satisfy the warranty in place with the manufacturer of the Big Blue Bus transmissions.

Rosemead Oil Products, Inc. was chosen. Although it was not the lowest bidder of the four, Rosemead Oil Products could deliver on the products needed to maintain the warranty.

The full cost of the three-year contract is $811,300.

Hey, teach!

Officials from the Community Recreation Division are looking for $193,106 to pay for instructors for classes and camps held on recreational fields.

The five contractors — Health Edutainment Corporation, Richard Goldenson, Irene D’Arcus, Sarah Marsh and Anna Flynn — have current contracts with City Hall through June 2013, but the cost will exceed $100,000 this year and require City Council approval.

The contracts will be put out to bid again by the end of the year for the 2013-16 fiscal years.

Chemicals

Anybody who has changed out a filter knows that those things can get grimy, and unlike the disposable ones in your air conditioning system, the filters that keep water clean at the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant can’t be tossed in the trash.

City Hall is requesting $185,000 to buy chemicals to clean the plant’s reverse osmosis filters. The devices are expected to last five years, but need anti-scalant chemicals to avoid fouling them up.

Seven companies bid on the project, and city staff selected the lowest bidder, King Lee Technologies, for the job.

The full three-year contract will cost $555,000, although future funding will be subject to council approval.

Medical supplies

The City Council is expected to approve $100,000 for medical supplies for Fire Department personnel.

Staff asked the three vendors who submitted bids to respond with quotes on 45 commonly-ordered products to make the best evaluation. The lowest bidder, Midwest Medical Supply, couldn’t cover all of the goods specified, so staff went with Bound Tree Medical, an Ohio-based company.

The three-year contract is worth $315,250, but future funding is contingent on council approval.

Planking

Visitors and residents swamp the iconic Santa Monica Pier daily, a level of use that takes a toll on the wooden deck boards that make up the landmark.

City Hall wants to put $35,000 into new boards and other wooden products used on the pier this year.

Gemini Forest Products was picked for the job out of three bidders. The company is supplied by Sierra Pacific Industries, which is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to promote responsible and sustainable forest management.

Gemini was also the lowest bidder.

The full three-year contract is worth $115,000. Future funding will be contingent on council approval.

Playground

Staff is requesting a $10,378 increase to the design and permitting contract for the Universally Accessible Playground in order to snag roughly $25,000 in savings identified during a plan check.

The construction documentation and plan check phases for the Universally Accessible Playground project turned up the savings by using the existing irrigation lines.

However, the alterations require design adjustments to the hardscape and planting materials, as well as the addition of one concrete seat wall and two picnic tables.

Katherine Spitz Associates, the firm under contract to design and permit the project, needs another $10,378 to incorporate the new specs.

City bathrooms

A remodel of second-floor restrooms at City Hall hit a speed bump, requiring another $8,039 to the contract with RS Construct, Inc.

The extra money will pay for the relocation of existing electrical lines and HVAC duct to clear space for the raised ceiling and the purchase and installation of additional conduit, wiring and sensors for lighting and fan control.

According to the staff report, no accurate plans exist for the building, so the conditions were a surprise.

Real estate

Sometimes, it’s not all about spending money.

City Hall is getting $1.41 million for a piece of city-owned property at 1601 14th St. that will be signed over to the Exposition Construction Authority to make room for improvements near the 17th Street and Colorado Avenue station.

The alignment of the Exposition Light Rail line requires the dedication of 8,297 square feet of what is now a maintenance yard as public right-of-way. It will be used for an eastbound lane and part of the adjacent 10-foot sidewalk.